Taliban leaders are confident that talks with resistance fighters who are holding out in the Panjshir Valley region will result in a peace agreement, a spokesman for the group told China Media Group.

The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan says it has thousands of fighters in the area, just north of the capital Kabul. It has expressed a willingness to work with the Taliban if there is an inclusive and decentralized government, but promised armed resistance if those demands are not met.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said he was 80 percent confident that the situation could be resolved without conflict.

"A peace agreement will be reached soon, I have 80 percent confidence in this," he said in an interview. "We don't want war unless we have no choice."

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The Panjshir Valley is renowned as a defensive stronghold which held out for years against the might of Soviet forces during the 1980s.

Mujahid said Taliban forces were nevertheless approaching the area from all sides.

He reiterated a promise that those in Panjshir and anyone who had worked with the previous government would be protected and even promised land and redress for any grievances.

"Their safety will be guaranteed; they will not encounter any problems," he said. "They have the right to enjoy a comfortable life in Afghanistan, a good and dignified life."

He was speaking before a bomb attack hit Kabul airport.